Re: Spurs, the humble champions
Quote:
Originally Posted by FromWayDowntown
I think this Spurs team is as mentally tough a group as we've had since 1999 -- and that team was flat out nails in the mental aspect. This team has had plenty of opportunties to go under, but somehow, they've hung in there and relied on each other to reach this point.
They could have cratered when they lost Tim, but didn't. They could have cratered when they lost Game 1 at home to a red-hot Denver team, but they went on the road and won two tough games in a very hostile environment against a team that tried to out-physical them. They could have been shook after Game 4 in Seattle, but they responded with 5 straight wins, including 3 on the road (one of which featured Duncan spraining his ankle again, but playing through the pain to carry his team to a close-out victory) and 2 at Phoenix.
While I think some are right to question mental toughness, I think the evidence is pretty strong to support the idea that these Spurs are a gritty bunch.
There have been a number of threads this year comparing this team to the 1999 and 2003 champions. Of course, this team has yet to win the championship and the ball can bounce in funny ways.
But I think you are right on that they are displaying a lot of the courage and heart of the 1999 bunch which gave you the feeling they'd win, even if they were down in the 4th quarter. It takes a special team to come back that way and this team is showing me they have what it takes.
Re: Spurs, the humble champions
OK, MIke Phellps at the Miami Herald = crappy sports writer.
is it just me or is this peice basically jsut cut and pasted from 6 other articles I've read this week?
Re: Spurs, the humble champions
As a foreign fan of Spurs, I think there are many people like me anxiously waiting for the NBA Finals. I expect the Spurs to win in 6 games (I may not bet on the vBookie again as I'm never accurate in predicting the exact results of each series, though I predicted correctly that the Spurs won each time.) Both teams are good, but the Spurs stand out in that the have a better bench (Detroit has Darko Milic who is as sparsely used as Paul Shirley in the Suns!)
Re: Spurs, the humble champions
Quote:
Originally Posted by Supergirl
If the Celtics had drafted TD, Paul Pierce would be an All Star every year. He'd be one of the top 3 players in the league if he didn't have to carry the offense every night and had TD to play with him.
But whether they would have won championships by now - not sure. Celtics missed out on Tony Parker, when they could have grabbed him, and Duncan might not have won in 1999 and 2003 going against a healthy Shaq without Robinson to back him up.
What if...again.
Had Boston drafted TD in 1997 would they have had the #10 pick in 1998? Would they have been better and as a result had drafted lower in the first round?
TOO MANY WHAT IFS!!
